bringing the latest developments in the technology, business and policy of solar power, the most abundant and cleanest form of energy, to your finger tips...

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Solar Power for Half the Costs

This article by MIT's Technology Review describes a novel technology by Soliant Energy that concentrates sunlight using mirrors and lenses onto a small area and reduce the amount of expensive photovoltaic material needed. Suitable for rooftop installations, this product, dubbed the "heliotube," is a minature version of CSP (otherwise known as concentrated solar power), which are more typically the domain of large scale solar farms built by the likes of WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corp. (see article on CSP).

According to the the Technology Review article:

Soliant has designed a solar concentrator that tracks the sun throughoutthe day but is lighter and not pole-mounted. The system fits in a rectangular frame and is mounted to the roof with the same hardware that's used for conventional flat solar panels. Yet the devices will likely cost half as much as a conventionalsolar panel... A second-generation design, which concentrates light more and uses better photovoltaics, could cost a quarter as much. He says that a more advanced design should be ready by 2010.

the solar coaster operator

Julian Wong is a Fulbright Scholar in Beijing, engaging in independent research on renewable energy policy and entrepreneurship in China. Until recently, Julian Wong was a corporate attorney in New York City and Hong Kong and a sitting member of the Energy Committee of the New York City Bar Association. He obtained a B.A. in Biology from Pomona College, M.A. in Environmental Policy from Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment, and J.D. from Duke Law School. He is also author of a blog on green initiatives in China called The Green Leap Forward at www.greenleapforward.com